


Strange Luck

by ghouladventures



Category: IT Crowd
Genre: Anxiety, Bi-Curiosity, Celebrations, Drinking, Drunken Shenanigans, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Face Punching, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Injuries, Movie Night, St. Patrick's Day, Vomiting, Watching Movies, watching Lord of the Rings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2020-03-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:20:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23193082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghouladventures/pseuds/ghouladventures
Summary: Roy and Jen drag Moss along for some St. Patrick's day celebration. But luck doesn't go as planned when Moss accidentally starts a bar fight.
Relationships: Maurice Moss/Roy Trenneman
Comments: 5
Kudos: 52





	Strange Luck

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first IT Crowd fanfic but I've been kind of brewing it in my head and I thought I'd write it down. Especially because I think there is a criminally low number of IT Crowd fanfics, and an even lower amount of Roy/Moss, and an even lower amount of Hurt/Comfort ones. Sorry the beginning is a little dialogue heavy. Enjoy the read!

"Goooood morning!" Roy exclaimed, walking through the door of the IT department. Jen and Moss both mumbled a half-assed 'morning' in reply. 

"You're awfully cheerful for it being a Tuesday" Moss noted, staring at his computer screen. 

"No, it's not just Tuesday, it's St. Patricks day" Roy explained, hanging his jacket on the coatrack, showing off the vibrant 'Green Lantern' t-shirt he was wearing. 

Walking up to Moss's desk, Roy pretended to be interested in whatever Moss was working on, only to give him a big pinch on the arm. Moss responded with a comical yelp, jumping out of his chair. 

"What was that for you mother-flipping hooligan?!" Moss snapped, rubbing his arm. 

"You're not wearing green" Roy laughed on the way over to his desk. 

"That's not funny! I'm not very fond of green if you must know" Moss answered, returning to his computer. 

"Jen think's it's funny" Roy said, as Jen giggled. 

"Jen isn't wearing green either" Moss commented. 

Making eye contact with Roy, Jen looked down to what she was wearing, abruptly holding out a finger in protest. 

"Don't you dare pinch me" She objected. 

"I'm not gonna pinch you" Roy assured, quickly interrupted by the phone ringing. Roy let out a big sigh before answering. 

"Hello IT, have you tried turning it off and on again" Roy said, only to hang up the phone shortly after. 

"Any plans tonight Jen?" Roy asked, typing on his computer. 

"Not at the moment no, why do you ask?" Jen replied, flipping through a magazine. 

"I was just thinking of going down to the pub, but I reckon it would be more enjoyable if others came with me. Moss are you in?" Roy questioned, turning in his swivel chair to face Moss. 

Before Moss could respond (which he was avoiding), Jen spoke. 

"Yeah that sounds fun actually, I haven't gotten drunk in ages" Jen replied with a smile. 

"Ages? Weren't you just telling us about how you got absolutely hammered last weekend?" Moss debated. 

"Oh yeah," Jen reflected with a laugh, "But this is a holiday". 

"Holiday shmoliday, it's just an excuse to get drunk and act foolish" Moss remarked. 

"Come on Moss it will be fun! You don't have to drink if you don't want. Just come along with us" Roy persuaded. 

"Yeah Moss what are you afraid of?" Jen chimed in. 

"Nothing" Moss hastily replied, a twinge of nervousness in his voice. 

"Please Moss, it'll be a good time trust me" Roy added. 

Moss felt as though he was being convinced to join a cult, but it was obviously important to Roy, and he really didn't wan't to let his best friend down. 

"Okay" Moss finally muttered quietly. 

"Alright!" Roy exclaimed, a smile plastered on his face. 

🍺☘------THE PUB--------- ☘🍺

The inside of the pub was packed with people, it was very claustrophobic. There were St. Patrick's decorations of four-leafed-clovers and gold scattered about the place. Moss took a puff from his inhaler in an attempt to ease some of his anxiety. Roy and Jen didn't seem to mind all the commotion, which was mind-boggling to Moss. They approached the bartender, Roy had to raise his voice in order to be heard above all the racket.

Roy ordered a pint for Jen and himself, then turned to Moss and asked if he wanted one. Roy noticed that Moss seemingly didn't hear him, even after repeating his name. Moss's eyes were darting around, ridden with unease, running his hands timidly over the straps of his backpack. Roy put his hand on Moss's shoulder to catch his attention. Moss blinked a couple times and met Roy's gaze, who looked at Moss reassuringly. Roy couldn't help but feel bad for Moss, he knew that Moss didn't do well in crowded social situations, and Roy didn't know what that felt like, but the evidence was written in Moss's expression. He decided to play it cool. 

"Do you want a pint?" Roy asked Moss. 

The words echoed throughout Moss's head as if they were coming from far away. Coming back to reality, Moss was reminded of the question. He didn't want to be drunk, it often made him feel uncomfortable when he wasn't in full control of his actions and thoughts. However, he knew it would probably provide relief in a way. 

"Uh, sure" Moss blurted out. 

Roy smiled and gave Moss a pat on the back before turning to the bartender and ordering. 

Moss jumped a bit when he felt someone else touch his arm. He looked to see that it was Jen, and she was talking to him. 

"Pardon?" Moss shouted over the ruckus. 

"Let's go grab those seats before they're taken" Jen repeated herself, pointing over to a big couch with a round table in front of it. 

Moss nodded and they headed over there. Roy following after them, balancing three pints of beer, trying not to spill. 

Everyone got settled into a comfortable position on the couch. Roy sat in the middle, Jen sipping her beer, and Moss not touching his. He sat upright, unable to relax as he stared at the fermented fizzing golden concoction in front of him. Roy made light conversation with Jen, trying to engage Moss, but he was definitely off. He spoke quiet and quickly, it was evident that Moss wasn't having a good time. 

Roy was in a dilemma; he wanted to talk to Moss about what was going on, but he knew singling Moss out and shifting the light conversation to a serious one would probably make things worse. He had no idea what to do, so he just carried on talking about nonsense and making jokes. 

Moss was dealing with internal turmoil. He wanted to be cool like Roy and Jen, they could just kick back, drink, and have a good time. 'Why do I have to be so uptight?' Moss thought to himself. He was feeling the effects of peer pressure without even being pressured. Staring at the foaming beverage in front of him, he raised his hand up to it, tracing his finger around the glass, debating his options. 

Bringing the glass up to his lips, Moss took a large gulp, squinting his eyes. He set the cup down with a disgusted expression. 

"Roy, you never told me beer tasted this ghastly" Moss blurted. 

Roy and Jen laughed, Moss smiled. Making them laugh felt good, like he finally had something to offer to their experience. 

"You've never had beer before?" Jen asked, surprised. 

"That time we were in Amsterdam I just got a bunch of sugary juice drinks to hide the taste. I hate how alcohol tastes" Moss explained. 

"So do I" Jen replied. 

"But you like drinking" Moss questioned, confused. 

"Yeah I like getting drunk, it's not like I enjoy the taste. Especially liquor, but it's a small price to pay for a fun time" Jen replied, taking another sip. 

Moss contemplated Jen's words, it didn't completely make sense to him, but he understood the concept. 

"I quite like beer actually" Roy chimed in, swirling around his beer. 

Moss felt good about his decision to drink, he chatted with Roy and Jen, sipping his beer just like they did, he felt included. Soon they had all finished their pints, and Moss knew that Roy and Jen would want more. This frightened him slightly, he knew he was an extreme lightweight, but he was sick of being the 'party pooper'. 

Later into the night, and many drinks later, Roy and Jen are pretty buzzed. But the inexperienced Moss is absolutely munted. Jen is astonished that she's never seen Moss drunk before. She remembers when her and Roy got hammered on their "girl's night out", but you usually know what to expect with a drunk person. She isn't used to seeing Moss so...not Moss. He isn't that different than any other drunk, but Moss is never this giggly and uncoordinated. 

Jen doesn't really pay attention to what he's saying, rambling on and on with Roy about something too geeky for her to understand. Moss is basically shouting his slurred words in Roy's face, and Roy doesn't seem to mind. Another thing that catches Jen's attention is the fact that Moss is actually okay with human contact when drunk. When Moss is sober, he avoids touching people whenever he can. But during his drunken conversation, he pats Roy on the shoulder and leans in, laughing and is seemingly outgoing. It's so strange and different to Jen, like she wasn't supposed to witness this. But she's glad she decided to go out with them, it didn't feel so much like they were 'work friends' anymore. 

"I've gotta wee!" Moss yells to Roy. And Roy nods like he's talking to a child. 

Moss stands up and a wave of dizziness hits him. He was feeling alright until he stood up, the floor shifting and swirling beneath him. Losing his balance, he falls back down on the couch, sitting to compose himself. Moss didn't really realize he was drunk until this moment and he was beginning to feel embarrassed. 

"You alright there Moss?" Roy questions, placing a hand on Moss's back. 

Moss closes his eyes and nods his head. 

"Yeah I just lost my balance for a second" Moss explains, getting back up and stumbling over to the bathroom, trying to walk normally under great difficulty. 

Not paying attention to what's happening around him, Moss suddenly feels he ran into something. Disoriented he turns around to see a (manly) man yelling at him about something. Moss looks down and sees a broken glass on the ground with a pool of beer growing on the wooden floor. 

The man yelling catches both Roy and Jen's attention. At first he just assumes it's a quarrel between two mates, but sees Moss apologizing and trying to walk away. The man grabs Moss, turns him around and draws his arm back. Roy stands up abruptly just to see Moss get punched in the jaw, his glasses falling to the floor. Moss stumbles back a bit, holding his jaw before another swing comes right for his right eye. Moss stumbles to the ground and the man follows, punching at him still. 

Roy runs over and pulls the man off of Moss. The enraged man tries to swing at Roy too, but his friends finally decide to hold him back. From the table, Jen sees Roy lean over where Moss is laying on the ground. Grabbing everyone's coats she runs over. 

A high pitch ringing plays around in Moss's ears, he feels someone moving his shoulders, his face feels painful and numb at the same time, he can hear voices faintly echoing around him, though his eyelids are heavy he tries to open them. 

Jen gets over to Roy and Moss and tries not to gasp when she sees the bleeding gash on Moss's cheekbone, right around his eye. His lip as well has a small gash of dark crimson. She thought seeing Moss drunk was different, this was something she never wished she'd see. She didn't know if it was because she'd been drinking, but she sort of felt like crying. 

"Moss, Moss can you hear me" Roy repeats, softly shaking Moss's shoulder. 

Roy shakes Moss lightly to try and get him up. A painful groan escapes Moss's lips as he begins to come to. His eyelids flutter open and he looks around, seeing Roy and Jen peering down worriedly at him. His eyebrows furrow and he clasps a hand on his eye, sucking in with pain. 

Moss has never felt so embarrassed in his life. Here he is, lying on the floor of a pub, drunk, with his boss and friend looking down at him, as well as most people there. He wasn't even sure what really happened. All eyes are on him, and anxiety is creeping in. They needed to leave, now. Even though the floor was swaying and his head was cloudy, Moss tried to get up, but it wasn't long before Roy stopped him. 

"Just lay down for a second" Roy ordered, his eyes scanning the floor until he found Moss's glasses. 

Picking up Moss's glasses, he noticed something was off. One of the lenses was missing. Looking down at Moss who was in a disoriented agony, he gives the broken pair to Jen, along with the out of place lens. 

"Roy can we please leave" Moss murmured, rubbing his eye with a pained expression. 

"Yeah" was all Roy said, as he helped Moss up, wrapping his arm over him to give Moss support. 

Roy walked Moss over to an open chair as Jen helped him get his coat on. With all their coats on, it was time to go. Once again Roy slung Moss's arm over his neck to help him walk. Moss wasn't doing to well at walking, seeing as he just got beat up and was wasted. 

Jen got a taxi at lightning speed, and they all filed in the car. Roy told the driver the street where his flat was, he didn't really know where else they would go. The drive was silent, Moss rested his head on Roy's shoulder. Roy and Jen exchanged multiple worried glances at each other, but never spoke. 

Roy felt Moss's fluffy hair tickle his cheek, and he wondered how he would feel if they were under different circumstances. Roy and Moss had gotten drunk before, but he's always been drunker than Moss, it's never been the other way around. It was strange, but even though he and Moss had been friends for so long, Roy had never gotten this close to Moss. In a way, Roy felt a strange satisfaction, like a mystery had been solved. He finally got some human contact with Moss. But he never wanted it to be like this. 

Jen stared out the window, every now and then looking over to Moss and Roy. A sense of guilt washed over her, she never expected the night to go this way. Then again, nobody expects a fun night out to end up like this. If they hadn't persuaded Moss to come out this wouldn't have happened. For a moment, she had almost forgotten that Moss and Roy were her coworkers. 'How are things going to go back to normal after this?' she wondered, and the thought scared her. She liked building a closer friendship, but this seemed too personal. 

Moss wasn't thinking about anything right now, he was passed out on Roy's shoulder. 

Soon enough, they arrived at Roy's flat. 

📺------ROY'S FLAT-------📺

"Nice place" Jen commented, looking around at Roy's apartment. Apparently this one was a lot more spacious than his old place, but she never saw it. 

"Thanks," Roy replied, helping the half-conscious Moss inside. 

Roy sat Moss down on the couch. Moss seemed to become more aware of his surroundings, looking around in confusion. He looked at Roy, and without saying a thing, Roy knew what Moss was thinking. 

"Moss it's okay, we're back at my flat, we're just gonna watch some movies or something" Roy comforted. 

Moss nodded his head, for a minute he was comforted. But before long his eyes grew wide and he shot up quickly. He rushed to the toilet and vomited. Roy and Jen grimaced at the sound of his retching. 

Roy quietly made his way over to the bathroom, standing in the doorway. He wasn't really sure what to do, he didn't know if Moss had heard him, and he didn't want to startle him by just randomly rubbing his back. Roy hears Moss let out a tiny sob in-between his dry heaving, and Roy kneels down by his side, placing a hand gently on his back. Moss tenses under the touch, and turns his head to see Roy. 

Roy has never seen Moss in this way, this up-close-and-personal. When they're eyes lock for a split second, Roy's heart starts to race. Moss's red rimmed eyes look so helpless, gentle, mysterious but beautiful, and it's much different seeing his eyes without those thick lenses in front of them. Roy's gaze falls upon the bruising gash just by his eye and remembers that actually happened. He has an urge to hug Moss but knows this isn't the right time. Moss turns around only to heave again. 

"It's okay, I'm right here" Roy says softly, he never really knows how to act in these situations. But he'll do whatever he needs to comfort Moss, he's had one hell of a night. 

Once Moss is done vomiting, he stands up and looks at Roy awkwardly before shifting his gaze away. 

"Roy" Moss says

"Yeah?" Roy asks

"Uh, I'm gonna pee so, could you"

"Oh sorry! Yeah I'll just leave you to it" Roy awkwardly mumbles, closing the door and letting out a sigh of embarrassment. 

Roy returned to the living room and sat on the couch. Jen was sitting in the chair. 

"I'm gonna put a movie on if you don't mind" Roy says, getting up and filing through the DVD's. 

Roy puts in a movie and sits back on the couch, looking for the remote. 

Jen sees the film Roy put in was 'Lord of the Rings'. Normally she would have complained and called them geeks, but everything was different tonight, and she just accepted it. 

"Jen, do you have Moss's glasses?" Roy asked. 

"Oh yeah" Jen said, rummaging around until she found them. 

Roy took the glasses and tried popping the lens back into place. He knew it was only a matter of time before Moss noticed their disappearance, and he didn't want to be the bearer of bad news. After a few tries he surprisingly got the lens back in, and they looked good as new. 

Moss stumbled out of the bathroom and into the living room, sitting in his usual spot on Roy's couch, making himself comfortable. He looked at the TV screen and squinted. 

"Oh, where are my glasses?" Moss asked. 

Roy whipped his glasses out within a second, feeling pleased that he fixed them just in time. 

"Lord of the Rings!" Moss exclaimed, a big smile on his face. 

Something about that smile warmed Roy's heart so much, and caused it to beat faster again. Even Jen couldn't deny that Moss's smile brightened the mood. Even if Moss was in a drunken stupor, his happiness held a certain importance, especially tonight. 

Roy pressed play and headed into the kitchen, coming back with an assortment of snacks and drinks, dumping them all on the coffee table. 

For a while, things felt like they were back to normal, even with Jen being there. Roy and Moss gave commentary throughout the movie, and answered all the questions Jen asked about the plot. But further in it was quieter. 

Even though it was only about 10:30 pm, Moss had been through a lot that night, and he was losing the battle with tiredness. He talked much less and was beginning to nod off, sometimes catching himself and jolting up, only to drift off shortly after. Roy knew that Moss would be staying here tonight, and noticed that Moss was wearing the same clothes from work, which didn't look very comfortable. 

Jen saw Roy lean over and whisper something in Moss's ear. Moss nodded softly and they both stood up. 

"Where are you two going?" Jen questioned. 

"Don't worry we'll be back soon" Roy assured, as they made their way to Roy's bedroom. 

Jen couldn't help but let her imagination run wild. I mean, they went into the bedroom, what was she supposed to think? She had suspected that Roy and Moss fancied each other, and tonight didn't fully disprove any of her suspicions. They act like a couple, Moss obviously knows his way around Roy's apartment. But despite all of her suspicions and speculations, she wasn't gonna make any assumptions. 

Roy let Moss choose what clothes he wanted to sleep in. If Moss wasn't drunk, he would totally be objecting, insulting Roy's fashion sense. But he choses the blue shirt with a killer whale on it that reads 'A wizard has turned you into a whale, is this awesome? (y/n)', and some grey lounge shorts.

"Do you wan't me to help you?" Roy offers, seeing as Moss is still really tipsy. 

"No" Moss replies lightning fast. 

"Okay okay, do you want me to leave?" Roy asks

"Just turn around please" Moss requests. 

"Fair enough" Roy says, turning around and facing the wall. 

He hears the rustling of fabric as Moss takes his shirt off. After everything that's happened tonight, Roy is fighting the urge to look over his shoulder for a brief moment. Just to sneak a peak. Even when they've gone swimming, Moss always covers up. 'I can't be blamed for my curiosity' Roy thinks to himself. However, he doesn't want to break Moss's trust. The fact that he wants to look so badly brings a concept he's avoided for so long to his mind. 'Do I like Moss? No, I'm not gay. But why is he making me feel like this?'. 

"Okay I'm decent now" Moss says, stopping Roy's thoughts. 

Turning around, the thoughts that Roy wished had gone away came back. Seeing Moss in his own clothes, the fabric loose around him, Roy thought it looked cute. He started to imagine Moss walking around in his shirt in the morning like his girlfriends would do, and butterflies flew around in his stomach. He cleared his throat. 

"So, do you want to sleep in here tonight or watch some more of the movie" Roy asked, trying to ignore the fact he was crushing on his best friend. 

"Watch the movie" Moss replied, walking up to Roy. 

They were both standing by the doorway but Roy didn't open the door yet. He didn't know why, it just didn't feel right. Nobody really addressed what happened at the pub and instead they just pretended nothing had happened. 

It was dark in Roy's room, only a lamp creating a warm ambience. Moss was feeling strange, not in a bad way. He wanted to thank Roy for giving him comfy clothes and for being there for him. But it was something about the way Moss felt so safe when he was with Roy, he could never put it into words. He didn't know if it was his clouded judgment, but he was starting to get feelings for Roy. The first time was when he kissed Roy to avoid the cops. It was the first time he really kissed anyone, and he was actually glad it was Roy. After that night he couldn't stop thinking about it. 

Roy and Moss just looked at each other, which should have been awkward, but it wasn't for some reason. Roy's gaze once again fell onto Moss's wounds, and he felt guilty. He should have walked him to the bathroom. He should have stopped that man sooner. He failed in protecting Moss and now look what happened. Acting on impulse, he wrapped his arms around Moss and embraced him in a hug. He felt Moss tense up, but soon after he relaxed and returned the hug. 

"I'm sorry about what happened tonight" Roy started. 

"I shouldn't have pressured you to come, I should have been there for you--"

Roy was shut up by Moss pulling him in for a kiss. They broke away and looked in each others eyes. In that moment, both of them knew this was right. Roy stopped worrying about his sexuality, damn it, he loved Moss, and that's all that mattered. They both leaned in again, this time more passionately, Moss running his fingers through Roy's hair. Roy gently caressing the back of Moss's neck. When they had finished making out they both couldn't help but smile, blushing like idiots. 

They both returned to the living room with satisfied smirks on their faces. It was hard to disguise the way they felt at this moment. Roy and Moss had dreamy looks in their eyes and kept glancing at each other. 

Jen saw that Moss was wearing Roy's clothes, and decided to say nothing of it. She had so many questions but she felt it inappropriate to pry. 

"You guys missed a lot of the movie" Jen said, trying to break the silence. 

"That's fine, it's really long anyways" Moss said whimsically, and Roy put his arm around Moss. 

'Do not ask anything' Jen repeated in her head, staring at the TV. 

Not even 20 minutes further into the movie, Moss fell asleep against Roy and moved his head onto Roy's lap. Roy didn't mind this of course. He took off Moss's glasses and put them on the table. Even though it was due to unfortunate events, Roy was joyful. He had seen Moss in such a different way today, it clarified so many feelings that Roy had kept bottled up over the course of their friendship. 

When the movie was finished, Roy carefully maneuvered off the couch to put the dvd away. He grabbed a spare pillow and blanket from his bedroom and put it over top of Moss, who was fast asleep. It reminded Roy of seeing Moss sprawled out unconscious on the pub floor, but this time he was safe and peaceful. He gently moved the pillow under his head. 

Roy put away the dvd and chatted with Jen for a little bit, making sure to be quiet. Jen looked over and saw Moss sleeping on the couch, and again it felt weird seeing Moss so different. Obviously everybody sleeps, she knew that. But she has never seen Moss look so calm, even with some bruises and gashes on his face. For some reason, Jen wanted to say he looked more human, which was weird to say because Moss was a human. It was needless to say that this was a very strange night for everyone. 

Jen left soon after and Roy gave Moss a kiss on the forehead before heading to bed. 

I guess in a strange way Roy saw how lucky he was this St. Patrick's Day.


End file.
